Byron Castillo and Ecuador, against the ropes: "The audio consolidates the complaint"

The information published this Monday by an English newspaper that the footballer
Byron Castillo would have admitted being Colombian and not Ecuadorian as presented by the local soccer federation, “it further consolidates our complaint,” said Pablo Milad, president of Chilean soccer.

Ecuador, out of the World Cup?

The Daily Mail newspaper published a recording in which Castillo would have admitted to being Colombian during an interview in the midst of an investigation by the Ecuadorian Football Federation (FEF), which four years ago sought to determine if some players had falsified their identityand from which Castillo was ultimately excluded after presenting an Ecuadorian birth certificate.

“It is an external test that is not among those that we present, but further strengthens our claim“said Pablo Milad, president of Chilean soccer, who in May led a complaint to FIFA against Castillo and the Ecuadorian federation for the “use of a false birth certificate, false declaration of age and false nationality” of this soccer player. Lion of Mexico

For his part, the president of the FEF, Francisco Egas, pointed out that the “tricolor” continues with its preparation for the World Cup.

“FIFA has shown in its first instance that we are right and we do not see why that should change, we have not seen any convincing argument or any evidence” to corroborate the Chilean complaint, Egas told the Ecuadorian press.

(Don’t stop reading: Piqué is past: Shakira prepares feat in Barcelona to surprise the world).

‘I don’t think he can deny what he himself said’

The nominees for the 2017 version of FIFA's 'The Best' award

23. Alexis Sánchez (CHI-Arsenal) also known simply as Alexis, is a Chilean footballer who plays as a winger on both wings or as a center forward.

Photo:

Alexander Nemenov / AFP

Chile demands the points in the two games in which it faced Ecuador for the South American qualifiers, which finally won a ticket to the World Cup in Qatar, accusing that Castillo played in those matches in the tricolor team without being Ecuadorian.

Although FIFA decided in June to file the case and dispelled fears in Ecuador about a possible elimination from the World Cup, Chile went before the Appeals Commission of the governing body of world football, from where the player was called to testify for this Thursday.

“Now we will have to wait for what the Appeals Commission says with this comparison that we have on the 15th (Thursday). Hopefully the player will go (
Castle). I don’t think he can refute what he himself said,” Milad said.

In case of losing the points due to suspension, it is possible that Ecuador will be disqualified from the World Cup and the player will be sanctioned.

The main beneficiary could be Chile, seventh in the qualifying table, but which would rise to fourth place, thus obtaining one of the four direct quotas available for South America.